DAY 1

Hello there....

I'm a student from Germany in my mid-twenties and I have been suffering from severe neck pain for years. I am pretty certain that the cause of this pain is the fact that I clench and grind my teeth at night. People have told I do so and various dentists confirmed this observation. Finally, at age 25, my dentist and orthopedist convinced me to get braces and go through surgery, because, in their eyes, the clenching and grinding was due to incorrect positioning of my teeth and jaw. The procedure took two and half years and now, a few month after having my braces removed, I can safely say that it lead nowhere. The grinding and the neckpain - which I am pretty positive, are conntected - are still exremly bad. When I asked the orthodonist why the prescribed therapy wasn't shwoing any results she just casually said: "Well then its the stress."

To get through my day and work infront of books and a computer I developed all kinds of techniques: I do Yoga in the morning and I swimm/jog regulerarly - sport is about the only thing that helps me. When I wake up with a tight jaw the pain is usually worse during the day. Alcohol also makes it considerably worse (I guess because I sleep less camly), which is why I have stopped drinking bigger amounts. Sometimes the pain is so bad that I find it hard to work and the prosepct of wokring at desk my entire life scares me.

A few month ago my best friend discovered Dr. Sarno's approach - he had had chronic pain in his back and arms for years and had basically stopped working because of it. Now, a few months later, he is basically pain free thanks to the TMS (self-)diagnosis. What put me off when he suggested I try a TMS programm is that my pain has a concrete physical cause (the grinding and clenching at night). But then again, it is obvious to me (and that is what experts say to) that the real cause of the grinding (and hence my pain) is psychological. Also, I have noticed that I constantly make repretitive movements in the neck region, which one picked up because I (subconsciously) thought they would elevate the pain. Now, I am pretty sure that these movements actually make the pain alot worse in the course of the day, as they put an extra strain on the zone. Here, my condition coincides with Dr. Sarnos theories (I have since read his book "The Mindbody Prescription"): I can imagine that I create this pain through the movement in order to distract my mind from underlying anger and stress. Mainly, I am perfectionist type who works alot and tends to put himself under alot of stress - the pain sometimes stops me from working more, often being the only boundary to my mind's willingness to work and succeed.

Life without pain, for me, would mean: being able to be a better person, as the pain sometimes decreases my capacties to truely engage with other people and their problems.

 

Hello and welcome. I think you are on the right track in saying that even if you grinding and neck movements are causing your pain, TMS is probably causing the grinding and neck movements. I deal with a similar thing with IBS. Most of my IBS symptoms are much better since starting this program. However, sometimes when I am stressed, I repeatedly contract my abdominal muscles rather violently, which after a while leads to my gut hurting very badly. I have to really pay attention to stop myself from doing it - it's almost an involuntary movement.

Also, if the pain is structural, TMS can worsen it significantly, for instance turning something that should be a dull ache into very distracting pain. Either way, I think you are in the right place and can find plenty of help here. Good luck and be sure to reach out on the forum if you have questions or concerns.

 

Thank you for your comment!!! It's really important to hear that others are suffering from similiar problems ...